Welcome to the fifth block reveal
for the QAL by the Sea!

This QAL is brought to you by Partners in Design: Where Friends and Fabric Meet.

Presenting: Heads or Tails

This 12.5″ (unfinished) block pattern was created by Sandra Healy of Sandra Healy Designs. You can download it free

HERE ON HER BLOG from now until December 1, 2020 at 7:59 am Eastern time. After then, the patterns in this QAL may not be available anymore or may be available for a small fee through the designer. Don’t delay, download them today.

Tips and Tricks to Constructing this Block

1. Keep your scissors clean. A gummy scissors can cause frayed edges. When I notice that my applique doesn’t have crisp edges anymore it’s usually because the blades have adhesive stuck on them. I use a cotton ball saturated with rubbing alcohol to carefully clean the blades on my scissors. I also do this with the sewing machine needle if it has an accumulation of adhesive on it.
   

   Just be very careful when cleaning all the surfaces of the blades.

2. Don’t let it show. Fuse a piece of white woven interfacing or white solid fabric to the wrong side of all white or light colored fabric pieces that you’ve chosen for your applique. This will prevent ghost images.
   

   I used white solid fabric and Lite Steam a Seam 2.

3. Opt for the easy way out. I used the fish patterns as guides to place the fins and tails. Just lay the pieces upside down on the pattern and position the fin and tail pieces on top.
   

   Since I cut out the inside of the adhesive web and leave just a ring, I removed a portion of this ring where the fins would be set. Then I just laid the fin with the right side down (with the adhesive side showing up). The adhesive on the fish will hold the fin in place until I get it pressed.

4. Making ends meet. Follow the pattern directions to place marks on the top edge of the center piece 1/4″ down from the top edge and 1/4″ in from each of the sides as noted in the picture below as black dots. Then place marks on the bottom edge that are 2″ in from each of the sides and 1/4″ up from the bottom as noted in the picture below as black dots.Next, I drew a straight line connecting the dots on each side as pictured above.  Then I cut 1/4″ away from each of the lines as pictured below. Finally, I matched each edge of the center piece with right sides together to a side of the side pieces and sewed on the drawn line.
5. Trim it twice. After you’ve inserted the center panel, trim it to 13″ centered before you fuse any fish pieces onto it. This allows for some shrinkage of the block due to the machine applique process. After the pieces are all machine appliqued, trim it to 12 1/2″ making sure to center the block. I remembered to center it with the first trimming but not after I was finished appliqueing it. With the Rick Rack placed over the seam line, the 1/4″ that it is off doesn’t show.
   

   Your block will not have straight edges on the top or the bottom until you trim it.

6. Making a minor change. We want you to have fun and be creative. If you are entering the giveaway, please make only minor changes to the free pattern that you download from the designer for these blocks. I needed to add just a bit of the sailboat fabric to this block and that center panel screamed, “Put it here!” However, I didn’t want the sailboat fabric to extend to each end of the center panel. So I cut and pieced a bit of it into the middle of the center piece, just about where the top and bottom fish would be swimming by. This sailboat fabric will be used for sashing but I don’t want any of the small pieces of it that I add into the blocks touch the sashing.
7. Do the flip. When you can’t find the right shade of the fabric, turn it over to see if the back would work. I used the back of the red for the fish’s fins because I was using fabric from my stash. It worked perfectly.
8. Make it unique and interesting. This is your quilt so embellish each block as much or as little as you wish. I used Rick Rack to dress up the fins and tails and even added Rick Rack seaweed. If you look close at the mouth on  the blue fish, you’ll see a tiny bit of teeth made from Rick Rack.

See These Hosts for More Construction Tips

Look for bi-weekly inspiration from these bloggers.

Karen @ Tu-Na Quilts, Travels, and Eats — Thanks for stopping by.

Sherry @ Powered by Quilting

Becca @ Pretty Piney Quilts

Sandy @ SandyStar Designs

Abbie @ Sparkle On!

Laura @Slice of Pi Quilts

Jennifer @ Inquiring Quilter

Sandra @ Sandra Healy Designs

Join this QAL

You can join in anytime. Find the complete schedule here. This QAL is divided into three segments each containing four blocks with a two week break between segments for a chance to catch up. Blocks are released on Tuesday mornings at 8 am Eastern time until all 12 blocks have been released. You’ll find the schedule for segment one below.

After you’ve sewn your block, share a picture of it on our Partners In Design Facebook page, or on Instagram with the hashtag #qalbythesea. We want to see them, as well as others who are quilting along, and be able to comment and encourage each other.

Segment 2: September 8, 2020 — October 13, 2020

(Find the blocks on these Partners in Design blogs)

September 8 — Block 5: Sandra @ Sandra Healy Designs — Heads or Tails
September 15 — Block 6:  Bobbi @ Snowy Days Quilting —
September 22 — Block 7:  Laura Piland @Slice of Pi Quilts —
September 29 — Block 8: Kathleen McCormick @ Kathleen McMusing —
September 29 — Segment 2 Wrap-up and linky provided for prize entry
October 13 7:59 am Eastern time — Deadline to enter a picture containing all four of these blocks for the Segment 2 Prize package
October 13: Segment 2 Winner Announced
October 13: Segment 3 begins with block 9

Enter to Win Segment and Grand Prizes

Entering to win is as easy as 1, 2, 3.

1. Everyone (You must be 18 to be able to enter to win prizes) gets to participate. There will be two prizes awarded for each segment and for the Grand Prize: U. S. and International. You do NOT need to have a blog to enter.
2. Make all four of the blocks in this segment provided to you free of charge for this event. Use your own fabrics and embellish them as you like. If entering the giveaway, the blocks should definitely be recognizable as made from these free patterns. Take one picture with all of them included. Finished projects or a quilt are NOT a requirement for entry.
3. Post one picture that contains all four of your blocks by 07:59 AM EST, October 13, 2020 either on the Partners in Design Facebook page, or on Instagram with the hashtag #qalbythesea, or on the hosts blog Linky party found in the wrap-up post at the end of each segment.  You are welcome to post a picture on each of the sources but it will only count as one entry.

The Grand Prize is going to be amazing! To enter just make, take and post one picture that contains ALL 12 blocks (they don’t need to be made into a finished quilt top or projects but if you do, be sure that all 12 blocks can be seen).

Segment 2: Prizes and Sponsors

Thank you to our sponsors for the following prizes for Segment 2!

One U.S. Winner Receives:

• A Fat Quarter fabric bundle of the Island Batik line Cascadia by Claudia Pfeil.
• Quilters Dream Poly batting;  a throw size 60” x 60”.  Dream Black is a beautiful true black quilt batting that enhances the integrity, richness, and warmth of vivid and dark fabrics and ‘quilts like a dream’.

One International Winner Receives:

• A six month subscription to the e-magazine Make Modern. A magazine for quilters, by quilters, filled with beautiful patterns and articles to inspire quilters like us to make more modern quilts!
• A PDF pattern of your choice up to $10.00 from these designers:

Laura of Slice of Pi Quilts
Sandra of Sandra Healy Designs

Don’t Miss Out on My Previous QAL by the Sea Posts

Tu-Na Quilts: QAL by the Sea Segment 1 Wrap-Up

Tu-Na Quilts: QAL by the Sea Block 4 — Sun

Tu-Na Quilts: QAL by the Sea Block 3 — Signal Flags

Tu-Na Quilts: QAL by the Sea Block 2 — Turtle

Tu-Na Quilts: QAL by the Sea Block 1 — Seashells

Tu-Na Quilts: Announcing the Next Quilt-a-Long with Partners in Design — Introduction and a look at my fabric selection.

What I Learned Today:

1. My iron handle needs cleaning. Now, how can that be? I keep my hands clean; now I’m wondering if Tu-Na Helper has been ironing during his gardening breaks.
2. My 5-year-old grandson is very smart! When I showed him this block and asked him what this was, he replied, “Fish in seaweed.”
3. Fall is coming early here. Forty-seven degrees for a daily high on Monday felt terribly cold!

Question: Do you wish for fish on your plate or on your hook? I prefer to eat it. When Tu-Na Helper and I were first married, we went fishing in nearby streams but I never baited my own hook and I refused to clean any if they were caught. Come to think of it, I don’t think we caught much anyway.

Thanks for stopping by and do come again.

Karen, Tu-Na Quilts

If you enjoyed this post and would like to read more about me click here. If you don’t want to miss any blocks for the QAL by the Sea, please consider following me by email, Bloglovin or WordPress; just subscribe using one those options found in the sidebar (or below on a mobile device) on this blog, Tu-Na Quilts, Travels, and Eats.

At this time, I am not affiliated with any of the items, products, services, or shops that I picture or talk about here on Tu-Na Quilts, Travels, and Eats. I just happen to like and use them.

©2020 Karen Thurn Tu-Na Quilts, Travels, and Eats

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